JON McCORMACK
Artist Resume / CV | jonmccormack.com | jon@jonmccormack.com
ARTIST PROFILE
Jon McCormack is an Australian-born conservation and natural history photographer whose work explores the intricate patterns, emotional textures, and hidden architectures of wild places. Informed by an upbringing in the Australian Outback, his photographs move between the intimate and the immense – from microscopic mineral formations and coastal details to aerial landscapes, ice, rivers, wildlife, and remote ecosystems. His work aims to inspire wonder, draw attention, and foster ecological empathy, and it has been widely published and used by conservation organizations to advocate for fragile ecosystems.
MONOGRAPH
A photographic meditation on recurring geometries and rhythms in nature, tracing a journey from a single Northern California shoreline to wild places across the globe. The project brings together aerial, macro, underwater, and landscape work to reveal nature as a connected visual system. Selected press coverage includes National Geographic, The Times, CNN, PetaPixel, New Scientist, Euronews, Blind Magazine, Feature Shoot, Frames Magazine, Digital Camera World, Amateur Photographer, and others. Awarded Best Nature Photo Book by International Photography Awards.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
An exhibition exploring the extraordinary beauty, intricate patterns, and hidden artistry of the natural world, inviting viewers to rediscover wonder and deepen their connection with nature.
This featured exhibition explores the artistry of the natural world across scales, inviting viewers to slow down, experience awe, and consider the beauty, fragility, and complexity of the living Earth.
Large-scale public outdoor exhibition in partnership with Photoville and the Seaport Museum, presenting work from a decade-long environmental photography project spanning five continents.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS / RESIDENCIES
Photography exhibition presenting work across themes of sacred nature, reciprocity, ritual, and ecological knowledge.
Selected work focused on the interconnectedness and beauty of the natural world and contemporary global challenges.
Residency and presentation in a contemporary photography museum environment dedicated to international visual art.
Juried exhibitions celebrating contemporary interpretations of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada.
Photo essay from Kilgoris, Kenya, selected for exhibition as part of Travel Photographer of the Year.
SELECTED PRESS COVERAGE
- National Geographic | “In praise of nature’s spinning, spiraling patterns” / feature on Patterns: Art of the Natural World.
- The Times | “Mapping Mother Nature: Earth’s intricate patterns caught on camera.”
- CNN | “Dazzling photographs show nature in a new way.”
- PetaPixel | “Patterns Is a Photographic Celebration of Nature’s Rhythms.”
- New Scientist | “Dynamic patterns of the natural world.”
- Euronews | “Beautiful but precarious”: photographer captures Earth’s fragile systems.
- Frames Magazine | “Extraordinary & Beautiful, Necessary & Good.”
COLLECTIONS
SELECTED ARTICLES & PHOTO ESSAYS
SELECTED SPEAKING / TELEVISION / PODCASTS
Address on the life of an artist, creative authenticity, craft, community, and sustaining meaningful work.
Address on the life of an artist, creative authenticity, craft, community, and sustaining meaningful work.
A Global Search for Wonder: Nature’s Art and Our State of Mind – talk exploring patterns, abstraction, awe, and ecological connection across a decade-long project spanning all seven continents.
Conversation on photography, technology, and Patterns: Art of the Natural World.
Capturing Wonder: Jon McCormack’s journey through photography and technology.
Television interview about photographing Spirit Bears and conservation storytelling.
Building Schools in Kenya – presentation on photography, education, and social impact through The Kilgoris Project.
CONSERVATION / SOCIAL IMPACT
- Co-founder, The Kilgoris Project – education and community development work in western Kenya.
- Founding board member, SeaLegacy – ocean conservation and visual storytelling.
- Fellow, Royal Geographical Society.
- Fellow, Royal Society for the Arts.
- Member, The Explorers Club.
HONORS / RECOGNITION
- Patterns: Art of the Natural World was awarded Best Photo Book 2026 at the International Photography Awards.
ARTIST STATEMENT – SHORT
My work begins with attention. I am drawn to the recurring patterns and forms that bind the natural world together: rivers that branch like veins, ice that folds like stone, minerals that resemble landscapes, and animals whose markings echo larger ecological rhythms. By moving between scale, abstraction, and natural history, I hope to reintroduce viewers to wonder – not as escape, but as a way of seeing that can deepen care for the living world.